Aetna to Offer Zero-Premium Medicare Advantage HMO Plan Option in Six Northern New Jersey Counties.CRANBURY, N.J. -- Aetna (NYSE NYSE See: New York Stock Exchange : AET AET Aetna, Inc. AET After Extra Time AET Actual Evapotranspiration AET Alliance for Environmental Technology AET Alpha-Ethyltryptamine AET Applied Extrusion Technologies, Inc. ) announced today that it has received approval from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), previously known as the Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA), is a federal agency within the United States Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) that administers the Medicare program and (CMS (1) See content management system and color management system. (2) (Conversational Monitor System) Software that provides interactive communications for IBM's VM operating system. ) to offer a "zero premium" option of its Aetna Golden Medicare Plan(R) to Medicare beneficiaries in New Jersey's Bergen, Essex, Hudson, Passaic, Sussex and Union counties. The Aetna Golden Medicare Plan is a Medicare Advantage (formerly Medicare+Choice) HMO HMO health maintenance organization. HMO n. A corporation that is financed by insurance premiums and has member physicians and professional staff who provide curative and preventive medicine within certain financial, plan that offers beneficiaries access to network physicians and hospitals. Aetna expects to begin offering the plans August 1. For beneficiaries seeking a richer level of benefits, Aetna also offers the Aetna Golden Medicare Plan with a $75 monthly premium in those counties. The zero-premium plan provides a second, less costly option. In addition, the Aetna Golden Choice(TM) Plan, a Medicare Advantage point-of-service plan that provides out-of-network benefits, is available in Bergen, Essex, Hudson, Passaic and Union counties. "Aetna is working to provide New Jersey's Medicare beneficiaries with a wide range of health care options," said Eric Cormier, general manager of the East Region for Aetna's Retiree Markets. "We're hopeful that our zero-premium plan will be a welcome addition to our menu of managed-care choices for today's Medicare beneficiaries." These reduced-premium plans have become possible because of federal government changes to the Medicare program, Cormier said. "Aetna worked alongside Congress and the Administration to modernize mod·ern·ize v. mo·dern·ized, mo·dern·iz·ing, mo·dern·iz·es v.tr. To make modern in appearance, style, or character; update. v.intr. To accept or adopt modern ways, ideas, or style. the Medicare program, leading to a number of needed changes," Cormier said. "Those changes enabled Aetna to enhance the benefits and reduce the premiums for our Medicare Advantage plans. This is great news for beneficiaries looking to save money on their health care benefits." The changes also have enabled Aetna to increase its offerings of Medicare Advantage plans to both individuals and groups, Cormier said. As one of the nation's leading providers of health care, dental, pharmacy pharmacy, art of compounding and dispensing drugs and medication. The term is also applied to an establishment used for such purposes. Until modern times medication was prepared and dispensed by the physician himself. In the 18th cent. , group life, disability and long-term care long-term care (LTC), n the provision of medical, social, and personal care services on a recurring or continuing basis to persons with chronic physical or mental disorders. benefits, Aetna puts information and helpful resources to work for its approximately 13.3 million medical members, 11.2 million dental members, 8.1 million pharmacy members and 12.4 million group insurance members to help them make better informed decisions about their health care and protect their finances against health-related risks. Aetna provides easy access to cost effective health care through a nationwide network of more than 618,000 health care professionals, including over 370,000 primary care and specialist doctors and 3,783 hospitals. For more information, please visit www.aetna.com. (Figures as of March 31, 2004) |
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